For a celebrity, singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey has always been fairly private. But recently, she’s found it increasingly difficult to escape the spotlight. Interest in her private life has soared since the 39-year-old artist shocked fans with a quick marriage to Louisiana alligator tour guide Jeremy Dufrene.
Ms. Del Rey took to Instagram to demand personal space after publicly calling out paparazzi for using drones to intrude on the couple’s private moments.
But while Ms. Del Rey had shared posts about Mr. Dufrene’s airboat tours as far back as 2019, news of their marriage caught many fans and journalists off guard. Indeed, online forums have since erupted with criticism of the Grammy-nominated singer’s choice of partner.
The uproar intensified when unverified screenshots from Mr. Dufrene’s personal social media began circulating, sparking rumors that the father of two supports former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. Although the suspicions have not been confirmed, and the screenshots remain unverified, the speculation has spread like wildfire.
One such screenshot from Mr. Dufrene’s Facebook account, dated 2021, shows him mocking masks and vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another depicts a photo of a brutally beaten man with the caption, “That look on your face when you decide to use the same bathroom as my daughter!!” Despite the lack of confirmation, many online communities seem convinced of his political leanings.
Following the couple’s public reveal, Mr. Dufrene has locked his social media accounts.
“Okay, so she got married quickly to a man that is an alligator tour guide and potential MAGA supporter?? What am I missing? Lana Del Rey, you could’ve gotten any other man,” one fan wrote on Reddit.
“Her boy is anti-vaxx and a transphobe. Fits the bill,” wrote another.
Emily, a self-described Lana Del Rey fan from Washington who didn’t want to give her last name, believes fans are overreacting, jumping to conclusions based on Mr. Dufrene’s appearance and the fact that he’s from a Republican state.
“Lana has always done her own thing, and that’s what makes her cool,” she told The Washington Times. “I think these are just people who can’t handle the idea that someone they admire might not share their liberal views.”
The speculation has driven media and fans alike into a frenzy. Just days after their intimate Sept. 26 wedding, the couple’s post-wedding peace was shattered by paparazzi harassment. Ms. Del Rey expressed her frustration in a comment on a fan’s Instagram post, accusing local paparazzi from Houma of stalking them.
“Unfortunately, a local couple from Houma won’t stop flying drones into our windows every morning and following us with a tracker,” she wrote, identifying the culprits as “famous New Orleans paparazzi” who were allegedly using multiple vehicles to follow her and her husband.
Over the years, Ms. Del Rey has been the subject of widespread political speculation. In 2021, she commented in an interview that while Mr. Trump’s presidency was harmful, it had been necessary for America’s self-reflection. “The madness of Trump … as bad as it was, it really needed to happen. We needed to confront our world’s greatest problem, which isn’t climate change but sociopathy and narcissism. Especially in America. It’s going to destroy us,” she told the BBC.
That wasn’t the first time Ms. Del Rey criticized Mr. Trump. In 2018, she publicly condemned rapper Kanye West for wearing a Trump hat on “Saturday Night Live,” calling it “a loss for the culture” and suggesting that Mr. West’s admiration for Mr. Trump stemmed from their shared personality traits.
““I can only assume you relate to his personality on some level. Delusions of grandeur, extreme issues with narcissism — none of which would be a talking point if we weren’t speaking about the man leading our country,” Ms. Del Rey wrote. “If you think it’s alright to support someone who believes it’s OK to grab a woman by the p—- just because he’s famous — then you need an intervention as much as he does — something so many narcissists will never get because there just isn’t enough help for the issue.”
In 2017, she revealed to NME that she had even cast a hex on the former president.
Nevertheless, Ms. Del Rey drew criticism from her more liberal supporters in 2020 when she wore what appeared to be a mesh mask at a book signing. “I love you sis but please wear a real mask, it’s gives a bad message,” one Instagram user wrote underneath Ms. Del Rey’s video from the event.
Ms. Del Rey praised Mr. Dufrene, calling him “the one and only” and confirming they were “very happy.” However, she made it clear that the media attention was overwhelming, pleading with paparazzi to “stop following us around remote parts of the country.”
• Emma Ayers can be reached at eayers@washingtontimes.com.
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